1. Field of the invention
The subject invention is directed to a cigar humidor to enable long-term storage of cigars and to enable a small supply of cigars to be maintained for relatively short periods of time in optimum conditions for smoking.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cigar smoking has been subject to renewed popularity in the 1990's. The focus of this renewed popularity has fairly expensive cigars that are made by hand from carefully selected tobaccos. Cigar-of-the-month clubs exist for distributing select cigars to smokers by mail. Magazines exist for connoisseurs in which various brands of cigars are rated in much the way that vintage wines nave been rated for many years. Cigar connoisseurs profess an ability to detect subtle differences between different brands of cigars and different types of cigars produced by any brand manufacturer. Cigars from one country often are considered to be clearly distinguishable from cigars of another country.
It is well known that cigars stored in the absence of humidity will become dry and hard. The outer wrapper of a dry cigar may crumble, and the dry cigar will not burn in the smooth manner desired by cigar smokers. Even a novice cigar smoker can immediately tell the difference between an old dry cigar and a fresh cigar. Most fine cigar retail facilities store their handmade cigars in rooms where humidity and temperature are carefully controlled. A cigar stored under proper conditions will last for many years, and may improve with age. Most cigar smokers will have one or two types of cigars for smoking on a regular basis. These cigars will be purchased in a sufficient quantity to avoid frequent trips to the smoker's favorite cigar store. Most cigar smokers also may have a small number of finer cigars that are kept on hand for special occasions. It is not uncommon for even an occasional smoker of cigars to maintain a cache of 50-100 cigars.
Cigar smokers are well aware of the need to prevent their cigars from drying out. As a result, most cigar smokers own a tabletop humidor. The typical prior art humidor is a wooden box with a hinged top. Interior portions of the box are dimensioned to protectively surround a supply of cigars. The prior art humidor also includes a source of humidity that delivers moisture to the cigars in the humidor. Some prior art humidors include a reservoir of water adjacent the bottom of the humidor. A perforated wall defines the floor of this prior art humidor upon which the cigars are placed. Thus water vapor in the reservoir will migrate through the perforations to keep the cigars moist.
Other prior art humidors include a moisture retaining pad at an upper location in the humidor, such as in the cover. The heavy moisture-laden air is believed to settle efficiently in the humidor thereby imparting sufficient moisture to the cigars. The moisture retaining material in the cover may be periodically replaced or remoistened to maintain a desirably high level of humidity.
Some prior art humidors include a plurality of separate compartments. However, the separate compartments all communicate with the source or sources of moisture. One such multi-compartment humidor is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,506,191. This prior art is constructed to ensure that all compartments are exposed to moisture while preventing the aroma from tobacco products in one compartment from migrating into another compartment in a manner that could achieve contamination of the unique tobacco flavor and aroma in each of the separate compartments.
U.S. Pat. No. 720,111 shows a cigar maker's work box with separate compartments for filler, binder, wrapper and for finished cigars. All compartments communicate with a single reservoir of water.
U.S. Pat. No. 273,205 shows a complex ornate cabinet for storing cigars and pipe tobacco. Cigars are stored on the shelves in an upper portion of the cabinet and the entire are enclosed by the shelves communicates with a single fluid reservoir near the bottom of the cabinet. Pipe tobacco products are stored in separate compartments between the fluid reservoir and the cigar shelves. The pipe tobacco compartments communicate with separate reservoirs which may be filled with appropriate aromatic liquids for imparting a desired taste and aroma to the pipe tobacco stored in the respective compartments.
Humidors, including those shown in the above referenced patents impart a uniform level of humidity to all cigars stored in the humidor. The humidity will ensure that the stored cigars can be maintained for a long period of time. Although humid cigars can be stored for a long time, they are not typically at optimum conditions for smoking. A humid cigar provides better smoking than the above referenced overly dried cigar, but does not provide for the optimum smooth smoke with the best aroma and taste available from a particular cigar. Cigars stored in the best commercially available humidors often will be overly soft and may approach a soggy condition particularly near the ends.
In view of the above, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a humidor that enables long-term storage of cigars but that also enables cigars to be at optimum conditions for smoking.